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Sapien Ethics: Who We Are, Why We Are Here, and How We Can Live Better
Have you ever desired to understand your purpose in this complex world? Have you ever wondered why people do the things they do? When presented with a choice, do you strive to make a sound decision?
This book is your key to discovering more about humanity’s existence. It explains how our seemingly divergent goals of happiness, success, and contributing to the betterment of humankind need not conflict.
At its core, Sapien Ethics is not a self-help book. It is a guide for those who thirst for knowledge and empowerment. It is for those who believe in the overwhelming value of truth.
Sapien Ethics brings the ancient philosophy of life known as Stoicism into our modern world. It combines two-thousand-year-old Stoic concepts with contemporary scientific theories. Best of all, the text uses simple everyday language to help readers absorb these universal truths and gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be human.
The book provides a framework to understand how nature influences our daily behavior, how our minds work, and how our social connections provide us with strength. Readers are presented with a new approach to perceiving and understanding the behaviors and actions of themselves and others. Readers can learn to understand different situations and view them in a way that makes their lives better and supports the advancement of humanity.
In addition, Sapien Ethics helps us understand how to make better choices. Decisions make a difference in an individual’s success and happiness. This book provides an opportunity to closely evaluate the choices we make and their impact on our lives. Finally, we look to the future of all humanity.
Author Mark F. Godwin, Ph.D., takes readers on an intellectual and spiritual journey that began in his youth, continued through his education, and saw him earn a Ph.D. with specializations in Mathematical Optimization, Machine Learning, and Controls from the University of California, Berkeley. He has worked in various Silicon Valley startups and has founded two of his own. In Sapien Ethics, he shares what he has discovered about the meaning of life and encourages readers to ponder life’s most important questions: Who are we? Why are we here? How can we live better?
This book is your key to discovering more about humanity’s existence. It explains how our seemingly divergent goals of happiness, success, and contributing to the betterment of humankind need not conflict.
At its core, Sapien Ethics is not a self-help book. It is a guide for those who thirst for knowledge and empowerment. It is for those who believe in the overwhelming value of truth.
Sapien Ethics brings the ancient philosophy of life known as Stoicism into our modern world. It combines two-thousand-year-old Stoic concepts with contemporary scientific theories. Best of all, the text uses simple everyday language to help readers absorb these universal truths and gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be human.
The book provides a framework to understand how nature influences our daily behavior, how our minds work, and how our social connections provide us with strength. Readers are presented with a new approach to perceiving and understanding the behaviors and actions of themselves and others. Readers can learn to understand different situations and view them in a way that makes their lives better and supports the advancement of humanity.
In addition, Sapien Ethics helps us understand how to make better choices. Decisions make a difference in an individual’s success and happiness. This book provides an opportunity to closely evaluate the choices we make and their impact on our lives. Finally, we look to the future of all humanity.
Author Mark F. Godwin, Ph.D., takes readers on an intellectual and spiritual journey that began in his youth, continued through his education, and saw him earn a Ph.D. with specializations in Mathematical Optimization, Machine Learning, and Controls from the University of California, Berkeley. He has worked in various Silicon Valley startups and has founded two of his own. In Sapien Ethics, he shares what he has discovered about the meaning of life and encourages readers to ponder life’s most important questions: Who are we? Why are we here? How can we live better?
110 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 30, 2021
About the author
Mark F. Godwin
1 book31 followersMark Godwin has spent over 15 years in technology development with a focus on product and engineering management. In his work, he has applied artificial intelligence to solve challenges in transportation and logistics. Through his life experiences, he has developed a deep understanding of the fundamentals of human nature. Mark is passionate about encouraging others to ponder life’s most important questions.
Mark attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he obtained a Doctor of Philosophy degree specializing in mathematical optimization, machine learning, and controls. Mark has founded two Silicon Valley startups, serving as the Co-Founder and CTO of Boxbot and Founder and CEO of Automa Systems. Mark currently resides in El Cerrito, California.
Mark attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he obtained a Doctor of Philosophy degree specializing in mathematical optimization, machine learning, and controls. Mark has founded two Silicon Valley startups, serving as the Co-Founder and CTO of Boxbot and Founder and CEO of Automa Systems. Mark currently resides in El Cerrito, California.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
September 29, 2021
The question of ethics drives us to all ask what is life all about? Read this book along with any other books describing Aristotelian ethics, the question of how to know what the greater good is? Also, read this book hand in hand with Viktor Frankl's book "Man's search for Meaning". Then reflect on what you have read and see how your life just might change.
June 20, 2021
Before reading this book, I hadn’t given much thought to how nature and science affect the decisions I make daily, or about why I shouldn’t always follow my intuition. Ethics had always seemed pretty cut and dry for me: good or bad. But what makes us do bad things? Why is an act that might be considered bad for someone else, a good decision for me?
Mark Godwin’s book Sapien Ethics breaks down the questions that I never even knew I had about humanity, ethics, nature, and science and how all of these go hand-in-hand in working toward the advancement of life for humans. His writing is clear and concise with simple explanations for things that seemed to boggle my mind, at first. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever wondered: Why do we do the things we do?
March 22, 2022
This is a short, fantastic book that I highly recommend. I thought this book was going to be more toward the side of evolutionary psychology, but it’s actually a book about being a good person through stoicism. Godwin takes Stoic philosophy and uses some of his own personal stories as well as great example scenarios to discuss how we can make better decisions and do right by others. The audio version of this book is only a couple hours, so if you’re looking for a book on morality and want to learn a bit about stoicism, you should definitely grab a copy of this one.
June 7, 2021
Sapien Ethics is a Must-Read for All Humans
Sapien Ethics addresses the human existential crisis in a way that is informative and presents ways to break down the confusing world around us into smaller tidbits so we can try to figure out one thing at a time. It affirms that history repeats itself, not only through actions, but also through belief systems, and ways of life. Godwin refers to Sapien Ethics as “This Little Book” and then compares it to a “longer Agatha Christie short story.” Just as there are many mysteries in the world, there are many studies to unravel those great mysteries, and this little book is one of them that everyone should read.
Godwin iterates that we should continue to seek learning. The more we learn, the more we grow and enable ourselves to use our collective knowledge to live our lives in a way that will make us proud and fulfilled. We cannot control nature, but we can control our response to it. We are here to survive and thrive. We have the capacity to live in accordance with nature. Individual decisions matter. Knowledge is not limited to what you learn in books. Knowledge is all forms of exploration of life. The world around us is out of our control, but the more we understand about the nature of the world around us, the better we can choose to either act, or wait until we have enough information, or to trust our intuition when waiting is not an option. This little book is a valuable resource that everyone should have in their libraries to use as a constant reference in this ever-changing world we live in.
Sapien Ethics addresses the human existential crisis in a way that is informative and presents ways to break down the confusing world around us into smaller tidbits so we can try to figure out one thing at a time. It affirms that history repeats itself, not only through actions, but also through belief systems, and ways of life. Godwin refers to Sapien Ethics as “This Little Book” and then compares it to a “longer Agatha Christie short story.” Just as there are many mysteries in the world, there are many studies to unravel those great mysteries, and this little book is one of them that everyone should read.
Godwin iterates that we should continue to seek learning. The more we learn, the more we grow and enable ourselves to use our collective knowledge to live our lives in a way that will make us proud and fulfilled. We cannot control nature, but we can control our response to it. We are here to survive and thrive. We have the capacity to live in accordance with nature. Individual decisions matter. Knowledge is not limited to what you learn in books. Knowledge is all forms of exploration of life. The world around us is out of our control, but the more we understand about the nature of the world around us, the better we can choose to either act, or wait until we have enough information, or to trust our intuition when waiting is not an option. This little book is a valuable resource that everyone should have in their libraries to use as a constant reference in this ever-changing world we live in.
June 9, 2021
Are you searching for your life’s purpose? Are you a logical thinker? Then this book is perfect for you. It covers the meaning of life using reasoning and facts. It gives you actionable steps you can take to change your perspective and live a better life.
This book has so much valuable information, you just have to read it. It has a foolproof way to make decisions using a method created by the author. This method will work even for people who often have trouble making decisions. Especially if you often search for the most information possible so you can make an educated decision. It even includes a very simple flowchart on how to make decisions and take actions.
And it also covers when to trust your intuition if you need to make a decision quick. It talks about intuition as being knowledge that is in our subconscious. But that if we don’t have knowledge on a topic, we should not trust our intuition. This was a mind blowing revelation for me. Especially since I am more of an emotionally driven thinker.
It also talks about how we can maximize our purpose using logic. While this book is about using Stoic Philosophy in the modern world to improve your life, the author puts it in a way that is easy to understand and take action on. I have never thought of it in this way before. Yet, it makes so much sense. I have read many other books on Stoic Philosophy, and this one is the best on applying it to modern life.
So if you are feeling lost and looking for answers, this book really will help you live a better life. I read it in Kindle Unlimited first, and found it so insightful I decided to buy it so I could keep referring back to it.
This book has so much valuable information, you just have to read it. It has a foolproof way to make decisions using a method created by the author. This method will work even for people who often have trouble making decisions. Especially if you often search for the most information possible so you can make an educated decision. It even includes a very simple flowchart on how to make decisions and take actions.
And it also covers when to trust your intuition if you need to make a decision quick. It talks about intuition as being knowledge that is in our subconscious. But that if we don’t have knowledge on a topic, we should not trust our intuition. This was a mind blowing revelation for me. Especially since I am more of an emotionally driven thinker.
It also talks about how we can maximize our purpose using logic. While this book is about using Stoic Philosophy in the modern world to improve your life, the author puts it in a way that is easy to understand and take action on. I have never thought of it in this way before. Yet, it makes so much sense. I have read many other books on Stoic Philosophy, and this one is the best on applying it to modern life.
So if you are feeling lost and looking for answers, this book really will help you live a better life. I read it in Kindle Unlimited first, and found it so insightful I decided to buy it so I could keep referring back to it.
June 9, 2021
This book is scientific in nature and makes an argument for both evolution (sapien) and some type of higher power (ethics). This seems like a tall order to answer who we are and why we are here, but Godwin delivers. The book will appeal to many different types of readers; those who are open-minded to the theory that there are both scientific explanations and a higher power contributing to our existence. It is a challenging book and the concepts remind me a lot of Paradise Lost, where it is challenging to get through but so rewarding once you work through it. This book is one you can reread over and over, each time learning more about different topics and yourself as you develop your perspective. However, you could not possibly grasp everything the author has to say at once. You have to reread it many times, each time finding more golden nuggets.
July 3, 2021
Sapien Ethics by Godwin is an insightful book that revives ancient philosophy and applies it to modern day. Drawing primarily from Stoicism, Godwin teaches the reader foundational principles that have been lost in modern times, specifically concerning ethics. Through his research and personal reflections on Ancient Greek philosophy, Godwin invites the reader to take inventory of their own life and work to adapt some of the practices to become a Sage. Much of the book is dedicated to information on living in accordance with nature, specifically through the natural laws of physics and mindset of logic. Godwin's examples help the reader to determine their own virtues and take practical steps to living in accordance with these values. The book is scattered with quotes from philosophers, which give the reader ample further material to research on their own. Godwin even includes a section for further reading based on what he's written.
May 18, 2022
This slim volume is a powerful introduction to stoic philosophy as the path to right living. In short, “Stoicism encourages a person to train their mind so they don’t need to think about being good, because they are good,” or to put it another way, this book teaches naturalistic ethics that derive from universal human values.
Younger people who are more detached from traditional belief systems may find this exploration of Stoicism particularly useful. The introduction to Marcus Aurelius is perfect for beginning Stoics who aren’t yet convinced that ancient philosophy applies to the busy travails of contemporary life.
Godwin outlines a clever one/not-ONE decision-making paradigm (act, learn or do nothing decision tree), which includes a thoughtful consideration of the power of intentional inaction. This and other tools and frameworks are depicted in helpful graphics that visually illustrate concepts that might be hard to understand when explained with the written language alone.
Sapien Ethics would make a great gift for any strong, smart young people in your life who are looking for guidance as they forge ahead in life.
Younger people who are more detached from traditional belief systems may find this exploration of Stoicism particularly useful. The introduction to Marcus Aurelius is perfect for beginning Stoics who aren’t yet convinced that ancient philosophy applies to the busy travails of contemporary life.
Godwin outlines a clever one/not-ONE decision-making paradigm (act, learn or do nothing decision tree), which includes a thoughtful consideration of the power of intentional inaction. This and other tools and frameworks are depicted in helpful graphics that visually illustrate concepts that might be hard to understand when explained with the written language alone.
Sapien Ethics would make a great gift for any strong, smart young people in your life who are looking for guidance as they forge ahead in life.
June 29, 2021
A Refreshing, Quick Read for the Stressed Individual and Readers of All Levels
Godwin's take on life through the pillars of Stoicism philosophy is insightful. If you don't read too often, then you can certainly pick up this book and understand it. It's a relatively short book that anyone can read in a day or two, and the style of writing is easy to get through. The author is thought-provoking and helpful in getting you to think more critically. If you're a more advanced reader, you may not find this book as helpful, but it's still a nice, quick read nonetheless. It's definitely a good book for young adults or working professionals who may need some direction in their life or are facing stresses at work, school, online, etc.
Godwin's take on life through the pillars of Stoicism philosophy is insightful. If you don't read too often, then you can certainly pick up this book and understand it. It's a relatively short book that anyone can read in a day or two, and the style of writing is easy to get through. The author is thought-provoking and helpful in getting you to think more critically. If you're a more advanced reader, you may not find this book as helpful, but it's still a nice, quick read nonetheless. It's definitely a good book for young adults or working professionals who may need some direction in their life or are facing stresses at work, school, online, etc.
June 21, 2021
Sapien Ethics is great and valuable for everyone, no matter if they are the average person or a philosopher. This book is a quick and digestible read that gives a foundation on the complex topic that is one's perception and understanding of life. With its comprehensive formatting, Sapien Ethics explains valuable topics from the three pillars of knowledge to one's internal and external control to one's relationship with knowledge, and much more.
This book is great for anyone who feels lost in the current world or for those trying to gain a new perspective. One should always be striving for new knowledge and Godwin encompasses the whats, whys, and hows, in this text.
This book is great for anyone who feels lost in the current world or for those trying to gain a new perspective. One should always be striving for new knowledge and Godwin encompasses the whats, whys, and hows, in this text.
January 27, 2024
Very much enjoyed this book. It’s was informative but also anecdotal, but the best bit was that it is very short and can be finished in a single setting if you wish. I gave it 4 out of 5 because it is fairly one sided & uses a single perspective (the perspective of the author). I actually consider the author’s perspective and personal experiences to be similar to my own & believe that gives it a certain level of directness and clarity, though I also feel it would instantly alienate someone who is not prone to that type of thinking or receiving of information.
June 30, 2021
Sapien Ethics is practical and thought-provoking, but most importantly it is accessible. Every chapter is packed with valuable information (worth a second and third read)! If you are looking for a timely and actionable read, this is the book for you!
June 7, 2021
A Practical philosophy for the modern times
With the fast-paced modern life, many people have forgotten who they are and how to be human. Mark Godwin's Sapiens ethics reminds us and points the way to the lost path.
With the fast-paced modern life, many people have forgotten who they are and how to be human. Mark Godwin's Sapiens ethics reminds us and points the way to the lost path.
June 28, 2021
Poignantly-written, eye-opening retelling of startlingly relevant philosophies
This book takes abstract philosophical concepts and explains them thoroughly and beautifully. Well-written and wonderfully informative. A book you are certain not to forget.
This book takes abstract philosophical concepts and explains them thoroughly and beautifully. Well-written and wonderfully informative. A book you are certain not to forget.
August 7, 2021
Nice concise stoicism philosophy book.
April 2, 2022
So this book is all about questions?? It really makes you ask why do we do this? What do we do that? It really makes your mind wonder and for me that's a great book. It really made me want to think about what I'm doing and why. Love books that will put you into deep thought and this was the one.
June 28, 2021
Reading Sapien Ethics is a great way to gain a new perspective on life! It presents ideas about how to view everyday things in a more positive way, how to appreciate what we have around us, and how to work together with others to improve humanity as a whole.
This book talks about ancient philosophies and transforms them to fit into our current society and families. It’s refreshing to read about the positivity that can be found in nature around us and the truth that can be found in all things.
This book talks about ancient philosophies and transforms them to fit into our current society and families. It’s refreshing to read about the positivity that can be found in nature around us and the truth that can be found in all things.
March 26, 2022
Not a bad read.
November 7, 2022
I believe any modern attempt to bring Stoicism or any other ancient philosophy to the 21st century is valid and welcomed. But this book, in my humble opinion, doesn't add any value to the conversation, even for those who have never heard of Stoicism before.
Although we obviously should be suspicious of any 100 page book trying to explain "who we are" and "why we are here", i gave it a try. The book is full of poor defined terms and unjustified assumptions. It's a shallow, oversimplified and confused mixture of Harari's Sapiens and Epictetus's Enchiridion.
And, btw, i find really curious that many people here giving five stars have read two or three books. Are they friends and relatives of the author? Is it the author trying to promote his book? It's, at least, really suspicious.
Although we obviously should be suspicious of any 100 page book trying to explain "who we are" and "why we are here", i gave it a try. The book is full of poor defined terms and unjustified assumptions. It's a shallow, oversimplified and confused mixture of Harari's Sapiens and Epictetus's Enchiridion.
And, btw, i find really curious that many people here giving five stars have read two or three books. Are they friends and relatives of the author? Is it the author trying to promote his book? It's, at least, really suspicious.
September 1, 2023
Disclosure: I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway.
The book is the author's philosophy of how to live a good life. He uses the Greek philosophers, TED Talks and Facebook posts as his sources. I know I'm biased, but anytime anyone cites Facebook posts as a source, I am immediately suspect. In addition, when referring to BCE and CE, he completely ignores the fact that there were two calendars in the Common Era, not just the Gregorian, but also the Julian. I'm glad that his philosophy works for him, but to me it sounds convoluted and leaves me with more questions than before reading.
The book is the author's philosophy of how to live a good life. He uses the Greek philosophers, TED Talks and Facebook posts as his sources. I know I'm biased, but anytime anyone cites Facebook posts as a source, I am immediately suspect. In addition, when referring to BCE and CE, he completely ignores the fact that there were two calendars in the Common Era, not just the Gregorian, but also the Julian. I'm glad that his philosophy works for him, but to me it sounds convoluted and leaves me with more questions than before reading.
January 3, 2023
Short and thought-provoking. I especially liked the discussion about using intuition versus reason to make decisions and whether or not to make a decision based on the ONE acronym. I think this will be helpful for me. I enjoyed the historical information about ethics. I think everyone could get a tip or two or more from reading the short book. Overall, I just enjoyed it. It wasn’t too long. Some parts went over my head, but the author does a great job of bringing things to a conclusion. Note: audiobook.
March 10, 2022
Despite its length which was very short, it took me longer than normal to read this book because I wanted to make sure I soak up all the information and interpret it as best as I can by using life examples.
This great book used simple language to explain rather challenging philosophical concepts and made me feel comfortable reading it. I highly recommend this short read to those who may want some clarity on the purpose of life!
Thank you Goodreads for this free giveaway!
This great book used simple language to explain rather challenging philosophical concepts and made me feel comfortable reading it. I highly recommend this short read to those who may want some clarity on the purpose of life!
Thank you Goodreads for this free giveaway!
July 4, 2022
Mark Godwin takes an intimidating topic and makes it not only applicable to our lives, but makes it an enjoyable read! He proves throughout the book his authority on the subject and uses real-life, relatable examples to contextualize abstract and hard to understand ethics topics. This book offers something for everyone, whether you have never thought or learned about ethics to experts in the field! Sapien Ethics will not only explain the importance of living in accordance with nature but give you tools and tips on how to do it and better understand the world around us!
September 11, 2021
This is a book that took me a while to read. I had to reread sections to get the gist of things I had difficulty understanding. My brain travels away from topics easily as I seem to have some form of adult ADD and need to concentrate to the get full effect of what I am reading.
Sapien Ethics is a good book of the author's personal discovery of "Who we are, Why we are here, and How we can live better". It gives us a path of how all beings can live this way and how to accomplish it.
I do like the part in the book that discusses that the whole point of Stoicism is for us to train our minds so that we do not have to think about doing something good because we have taught ourselves to practice being that it is an automatic thing for us to do. The goal is for us to live a better life.
I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did.
Sapien Ethics is a good book of the author's personal discovery of "Who we are, Why we are here, and How we can live better". It gives us a path of how all beings can live this way and how to accomplish it.
I do like the part in the book that discusses that the whole point of Stoicism is for us to train our minds so that we do not have to think about doing something good because we have taught ourselves to practice being that it is an automatic thing for us to do. The goal is for us to live a better life.
I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did.
September 5, 2021
The topic itself is super interesting. It reads a bit more like a textbook than I anticipated but it's interesting.
October 29, 2021
ok
Just not as good as I was hoping. It has some valuable bits but it wasn’t super engaging for me.
Just not as good as I was hoping. It has some valuable bits but it wasn’t super engaging for me.
March 17, 2022
Short, quick read with a good overview of Stoicism and ethics.
July 2, 2022
A straightforward approach to ethical considerations and Stoicism. Readers of Stoic texts may find this redundant but the book is still well worth reading.
January 18, 2023
I would summarize the book as a scientist’s take on Stoicism. As someone who takes science as the guiding epistemology, I do relate to it in many ways. That being said, I prefer the view on human nature to be informed by evolutionary perspectives. In that sense I like how William B. Irvine tries Stoicism to tame human nature. I also find the author’s view on the arc of history to be naive. While humanity uniting under “one and only one truth” sounds heartwarming, the actual attempts to unite people under “Truth” have caused countless harms; it is essentially an intellectual colonialist thinking. Many are better off being left alone.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews